Seventeen reviews in, one thing is clear: Reading isn’t just homework, it’s an adventure worth sharing, Emma Chai tells us in the student newspaper at Tenafly High School in New Jersey.
(Christopher John SSF via Flickr Creative Commons)In her school newspaper, Emma has made a habit of turning the pages of novels like Rebecca into lively weekly write-ups, mixing critique with enthusiasm and proving that books still have the power to spark conversation.
Her latest review of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca is filled with the kind of detail only a passionate reader can provide. She praises the suspense, admits the slow pacing can drag, and still insists the story is worth the journey. What makes her column stand out, though, isn’t just the sharp observations; it’s the joy of reading itself. Whether it’s a school assignment, a BookTok recommendation, or a personal favorite, she shows how every book opens a door to new ideas.
This is where other students come in. If you’ve ever loved — or hated — a book enough to tell a friend about it, why not tell the whole school? Reviews don’t need to be formal essays; they can be your take, your perspective, your way of showing how a story connected with you (or didn’t). One student’s review of Rebecca might inspire someone else to pick it up or write their own review of a totally different book.
At their best, student reviews are a conversation starter. They make reading social, not solitary. They build community around stories. And they remind us that even in the age of streaming and scrolling, there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of closing a book and having something to say about it.
So here’s the invitation: pick up a book, form an opinion, and write it down. You might discover, like Emma, the reviewer behind “Triple C’s,” that the habit of sharing what you read becomes a story of its own.
